Meek Mill’s prison sentence is a harsh reminder of an unjust system
Yesterday, rapper Meek Mill was sentenced to 2-4 years in state prison for parole violations. Judge Genece E. Brinkley sentenced Meek Mill for violations stemming from a gun and drug case from 2008.
The Judge cited an altercation at a St. Louis airport and a reckless driving case from NYC as sufficient grounds to sentence Meek despite the fact that both charges were dropped.
For Meek Mill to still be suffering from a nearly decade old case from when he was 18 is all too representative of the failures of the justice system, especially for young Black Americans.
Meek spoke to Billboard back in July after the release of his latest album Wins & Losses about having a permanent charge on his record that keeps him in the system,
“I was 18 and got beat up by a cop and almost killed by cops. I was just a statistic coming up. The cops are in a dangerous neighborhood thinking everybody else in the neighborhood is dangerous or everybody in the hood is killers. They caught me and treated me like I was a killer. I don’t think that’s really right. The cop gave me a 100 charges with trying to kill a cop. I don’t want to kill a cop. They basically put me on probation for the rest of my life from that point on when I was 18. I’m 30 now and still on probation. I’ve been to jail three times from that one stint of probation. Any mistake you make, you’ll be put in prison. Your freedom can be took.”
And now, Meek Mill’s freedom has been taken again for riding a motorcycle and getting into an argument at the St. Louis airport.
Many in the hip-hop world reacted to Meek’s sentence with anger and shock.
Jay-Z wrote on Facebook about the ‘unjust and heavy handed’ ruling by the judge,
“The sentence handed down by the Judge — against the recommendation of the Assistant District Attorney and Probation Officer — is unjust and heavy handed. We will always stand by and support Meek Mill, both as he attempts to right this wrongful sentence and then in returning to his musical career.”
T.I. offered his support for Meek through this ordeal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbLIwq-jXVn/
Nipsey Hussle, Isaiah Thomas, and Questlove posted about the nature of the system
To be yung Blac and successful YOU ENEMY NUMBER 1. HOLD YO HEAD @MeekMill streets chose u💪🏽🏁
— THA GREAT (@NipseyHussle) November 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/Isaiah_Thomas/status/927715530848587776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fmusic%2Fcelebrities-support-meek-mill-following-his-prison-sentence%2F
it's like this double standard justice system man is just…. i don't even have the words now y'all. #FreeMeek https://t.co/GG7PvARGGM
— Dr. Love (@questlove) November 7, 2017
Kevin Hart also showed his support to this fellow Philly-native
Ultimately, the whole thing is just sad.
Saddened, angered, and disappointed by the @MeekMill news …. really sad
— Real Late 2 Soon Come (@Rosenbergradio) November 6, 2017
Meek Mill’s lawyer has claimed they will appeal the ruling. It’s definitely shitty to see Meek go through this. Sure, he’s made some mistakes but getting a sentence of 2-4 years in prison for minuscule charges that have been dropped is not any form of justice.
Hold ya head Meek. Hopefully true justice is coming your way.